Photo of the Week - Final Space Shuttle Launch Tweetup

A view of the space shuttle Atlantis looking directly down onto the shuttle atop the Mobile Launcher Platform and crawler-transporter was taken from the VAB roof approximately 525 feet above the ground.
NASA

After 130 space shuttle missions, NASA is counting down to its final space shuttle launch before the fleet is scheduled to retire — and its giving 150 of its Twitter followers a front-row seat at the historic launch.

The agency's fifth shuttle launch Tweetup is scheduled July 7-8 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Shuttle Atlantis is targeted to lift off on its mission to the International Space Station at about 11:40 a.m. EDT on July 8. The official launch date will be announced after a Flight Readiness Review meeting on June 28.

Those selected to participate in the Tweetup will tour the center, view the shuttle launch and speak with NASA managers, astronauts, shuttle technicians and engineers from across the agency. Tweetup registration opens at noon on Wednesday, June 1, and closes at noon on June 2. NASA will randomly select the 150 participants.

Shown above is a view of the space shuttle Atlantis looking directly down onto the shuttle atop the Mobile Launcher Platform and crawler-transporter was taken from the VAB roof approximately 525 feet above the ground.

With many educational organizations shifting their entire schedules to distance learning tools or full virtual environments indefinitely, never has the statement “we are all in this together” been more poignant.